From the Top
by FaeOfStars
Summary: Three years after the war. When the dust has settled, everybody tries to start over again, but for some people it isn't all that easy...
1. Dinner at the Burrow

**Dinner at the Burrow**

'Harry's coming over tonight.'

'That's great! It's been a while now… almost three months since his last visit.'

'Yes well… we can't blame him. It was _not_ a success…

'He's moved again.'

'Again! Who found-'

'Daily Prophet. Bloody Skeeter cow. She got to the porch.'

'Impressive.'

'How is the poor soul? He must be feeling awful all alone and so far away. Probably having take-out every day too. Not a decent meal in ages…'

Ron and Hermione were having tea with Mrs Weasley when Ginny joined them, carrying a redheaded three-year-old.  
'Harry's moved? I wanted to ask him to bring more of the thing with him. The parmiwhatchamecallit. The cheese. Jake really loves it.'  
'He lives in Russia now. Reckon it's way harder to track people down when they're all wrapped up and wearing funny hats. You can't even tell the difference between a bloke and a broad wh-' 'Ronald!'  
'And I was hoping for pizza tonight…' Ron grumbled.  
'Well I'm cooking tonight; Harry has to take two portkeys and apparate all the way from France.' Ron brightened immediately. 'So what are we having?' But the twins chose that instant for a loud entrance which the boy in Ginny's arms took for a cue to start crying for its meal.  
'Good afternoon Weasleys and wives!' Fred greeted. 'What a pleasant day for a family gathering,' George fell in. 'What's for dinner?' they chorused.  
Molly tried to answer again but was interrupted by the arrival of Bill and his family followed immediately by Percy and his wife.  
Everybody started getting up greeting, hugging and kissing one another. Children with brown, blonde but mostly red hair popped up from out of nowhere and started yelling for their cousins and siblings. Chairs were conjured when people ran out off sofa to occupy and conversations were taken up and interrupted.  
After hugging several of her grandchildren Molly sighed contented, happy she had her family around her for Sunday dinner.

Almost three years after Voldemort's demise, people were taking control of their lives again. Families were reunited, houses rebuilt and Hogwarts opened its doors again.The war had been terrible: thousands of casualties just in England, families were ripped apart, never to be whole again. Death and destruction everywhere. Fighting had reached Greece before the Order was finally able to put a stop to it all. Actually it was Harry who did. He ended the war by killing the Dark Lord, getting rid of Snape, Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange and putting 13 other Death Eaters behind bars (of an entirely reformed prison that is).

The entire Order of the Phoenix, out in the open, were wizarding heroes now. Everyone received not only Order of Merlin first class but also the newly established Order of the Phoenix third, second or first.  
Her own Arthur, God rest his soul, has his painting hanging in the Minister's office as well as in the Burrow. He died in the final battle, protecting Hermione, murdered by Lucius Malfoy.  
Charlie she lost too. He succumbed to his injuries at St-Mungo's. He saved 23 children that day. He was escorting them to a safe point when they were attacked. His wife died giving birth two days later.

And now people were finally able to mourn.

The Ministry of Magic, completely demolished very early in the war, has been rebuilt and several new offices and funds were established.  
Even Hogwarts had changed: besides being the world's most famous wizarding school, it was now the largest orphanage in Europe.

Three years after the end of the war everybody could breathe again.

'Uncle Harry!' Jake yelled.

…

Well not everybody…


	2. Hermione

**Hermione**

'Uncle Harry!' Jake yelled, and before he knew it, the young man on the threshold was on the floor trying to draw a breath.  
Hermione started loosening the grips of a dozen little hands on Harry's arms, legs and face while Harry himself emerged from a sea of limbs repairing his glasses, hair as messy as ever.  
When he got to his feet and had given each of the children a careful pat on the back she hugged him tightly and whispered softly in his ear. 'It's good to see you, Harry.'

Dinner was excellent off course. Molly has outdone herself once again; conversation and laughter filled the kitchen. Everybody had a lot of catching up to do, especially concerning Harry's whereabouts and adventures. Harry was hearing three months worth of ministry antics, new teeth, funny anecdotes and popular gossip.

'So this week you have been spotted walking around Los Angeles with some famous muggle model,' Fred filled him in. 'And your 22nd lovechild was discovered the week before last.' George was eager to announce.

'Only seven more to go then,' Harry dryly commented, and everyone burst out laughing again.

The children were sent up hours ago but everyone else had moved to the living room were wine flowed richly.  
Hermione, not really listening to the bantering, let her gaze slide over her family:Mrs Weasly was sitting in an armchair, tears of laughter and happiness in her eyes. Percy sat next to her holding Penelope's hand. Across the room was Bill with a sleepy Fleur in his lap. Fred was leaning against the fireplace and George was sitting on the armchair of the sofa where she and Ron were crammed between Angelina and Katie, both very pregnant.  
Ginny lay sprawled on a rug in front of the fireplace, looking very much the lazy cat, and on a cushion next to her was Harry.  
Hermione couldn't remember the last time she felt this relaxed.

She finally felt as if things were falling into place again and it was time to move on. Some already had, but for her it was different. More difficult maybe. She had been completely cut off from her previous life. Voldemort had murdered her entire family and all of her muggle friends. Because of her dozens of people had died. People she loved. People who had been loved by others as well. The loss was crushing. The guilt she knew Harry must have felt for years still weighed enormously on her heart.  
But she had found comfort, support and a new family at the Burrow. Maybe it was time she started living her life too. Ron certainly thought so.

Here she could. At the burrow there was Life.

Upstairs nine boys were asleep (two of Bill and Fleur, Percy's three sons, George's twins and Charlie's kids, now in the care of his mother and sister) and two more Weaslys were on the way. Hermione was certain Molly was hoping for at least one of them to be her long awaited granddaughter.

When she looked at the happy parents in the room something caught her eye. She couldn't help but notice the look in Harry's eyes. He looked suspiciously contented himself. Not at all in character…

Harry had been on the move for over two years now. When he could finally stop worrying about a bunch of Death Eaters lurking in the shadows he had to start running from a flood of reporters following him wherever he went.

Harry was in great spirits after he killed Voldemort. Not at all what everyone expected: instead of brooding and locking himself up – Harry being Harry – he was determined to hunt down all the remaining Death Eaters. Which he did as a matter of fact (with the help of the order and a bunch of aurors off course). And when everything was over he only hesitated for a second before consenting with an interview and a press conference (!).

But that's where it went wrong. Harry was bombarded instantly as the hero he was and the idol he didn't want to be. There were countless articles written and hundreds of pictures published. For a month he couldn't get out of his home without being showered with questions and blinded by cameras. Random people accosted him in the street often being very rude and inappropriate. When he stopped going out at all (without his invisibility cloak) reporters showed up _in_ his apartment and went so far as going through his garbage. He had moved there to stop them pestering the Weaslys (although each of them was something of a celebrity and could be found in the gossip pages at least once a month) but to no avail. At one point Ginny had to be taken to St-Mungo's when one of the photographers 'accidentally' knocked her down when trying to make her pose for a picture (she had taken a nasty fall, countless of pictures where there to prove it), and George had been summoned to a ministry hearing for punching the guy in question.

That was the day Harry decided to leave England altogether. He had been hiding al over the world ever since, moving from one place to the other every time his cover was blown -which happened quite a lot actually… He is world famous after all.

He comes to visit now and then, when he thinks it's safe, but he never stays longer than a day and the anxiety drips of his face. For good reason, Hermione was sorry to say, because find him they do. They were all kind off high profile now and none of them was completely paparazzi-free, so Harry was often discovered which means hell breaks loose.

The last time he was in the country, _Teenage Tattle _a popular magazine for young witches somehow got word and sent a special 'asap' delivery owl to its subscribers.  
Hundreds of witches showed up at Ottery St.Catchpole mere minutes after Harry did.

But today Harry was oddly at peace. The wine might have something to do with that, but it wasn't like Harry to let his guard down. But when she took a closer look, she could see something very much alike the look in Bill's eyes when he talked about his sons, or the sparkle in Angelina's when she was telling about the baby room Fred was preparing… Or was it someth- No, it couldn't be!

But there it was: the small smile on his lips, the sparkle in his eyes…

So there might be another reason for his three month absence after all:

Harry is in love.


	3. George

**George**

Well it's obvious everyone's in high spirits because of Harry finally being back. And Harry himself doesn't seem to mind either, for a change.  
He should probably just stay.

Maybe we can set him up with Ginny? … No I always had a feeling Ginny was part of the reason he left in the first place. They did have a row that day. Probably some noble crap like not being able to give her the life she deserves… Good man, Harry… Good man.  
Oh I know! We could slip him a Puking Pastille! Make him think he's sick and then-

'I'm sick!' Harry choked and ran off in the direction of the bathroom.

George turned to his twin who gave him a wink. 'Way ahead of you, my brother.'  
George grinned back at him and they started planning step 2 of the Make Harry Stay Merry-plan when…

'Oh my God! My water broke!'


	4. Ron

**Ron**

All of a sudden the mood had gone from comfortably cosy to something very much alike what the chickens must be feeling during feeding time.

Angelina was standing in a small pool of water looking panic-stricken.Mum was trying to calm her down and take her upstairs while Hermione ran upstairs to get Angie's bag. Katie, with her hands on her protruding belly was just looking jealous while Fred was jumping up and down trying to hug his wife.  
Ron, who had seen Fred slip something in Harry's glass of wine, took George aside. 'You should go give Harry the other end, we're in need of a babysitter and I'm guessing he might volunteer.'

* * *

Ron took the cup of coffee George offered. They had been at the hospital for hours now…  
Hermione, Katie and his mum were talking amongst themselves while a very agitated Fred occasionally burst through the double doors with absolutely no news at all.Harry, Bill and Fleur stayed at home with the kids and Percy had gone to his place to pick up some stuff Fred and Angelina might need for their impatient baby. 

'So little sister, I noticed you looking a bit anxious earlier… Want to talk about it?'

'Erm… No, not really. Nothing's wrong really… just trying to sort some stuff out… Since when have you been this perceptive?'

'Since Hermione's breakdown back then… I reckoned I should have known she wasn't holding up as well as she appeared to be… So I thought I should take care of her a bit better. See things like that before it's to late, you know?'

'You're doing a great job, Ron. I can see she can be happy again and you have made that possible.

'So erm… When are you going to pop the question?'

'I don't know, Gin… I don't think she's there yet. I should wait for a while until…'

'You know Ron, something like that might help her see it's okay for her to be happy. It may be that first step she needs right now. I think she may be ready, but doesn't quite dare to go down that road… You think about it, you know her best.'

'You may be right. I don't know… Thanks Ginny.' Ron hugged his sister thinking about the start of the conversation and Ginny reversing who was comforting whom.

He turned around and sat down next to his girlfriend, who smiled at him and took his hand into hers.

Six hours later (George had taken Katie home and Hermione was asleep in a very uncomfortable looking position) baby Thomas was born. Angelina positively glowed and Fred, for the first time in his life, was speechless. Hermione, he noticed, had tears in her eyes.  
'Let's go home, love. We can tell Harry about the baby.'

When they got home at 10 o'clock in the morning, Harry was asleep on the couch, glasses askew. Ginny woke him by whispering something in his ear. Ron was taken aback when he saw Harry, usually very grumpy when woken up, open his eyes and smile at her. He got up stretching and whispered something back.

There was a knock on the door and Colin Creevey entered.

'Happy Anniversary, love!'


	5. Harry

**Harry**

'Happy aniversary, love!'

A shriek, a rush and a bump later both Ginny and Colin were half inside half out hugging fiercely. 'Colin! I almost forgot! With Harry and the baby and – oh happy anniversary! I'll go freshen up! We're leaving in ten minutes! I've got the biggest surprise for you...' And ginny rushed upstairs. 'Make that half an hour,' Colin sighed jokingly. 'So, Harry, how've you been?'

Harry had always liked Colin. Sort of. Especially since he got together with Ginny. Sort of. It was good seeing him again. An hour and quite a lot of catching up later (in which Harry was getting quite good) Ginny made a grande entrance and was off again before Harry could close his mouth. 'Ginny Weasly..'

It was that moment Harry decided it was time. No more secrets. Time to come home.

All he had to do was talk to Ginny and hope she feels the same. Colin would just have to understand. If only he was sure Ginny would.


	6. Ginny

**Ginny**

'You're going to love this, Colin... I've been planning this for weeks now! Talk about and today we can.' 'I agree, love. See there's something I've been meaning to ask you..'

Ginny was tired but exhilerated. It was finally happening! She had been waiting for this for two years now, no matter what appearances she kept up.

All she had to do now was talk to-

'Harry!' she started when she bumped into him on the landing in front of her room. Oh sorry, I-' 'It's okay, Gin, I was searching for you. There's something I have to say.' ' Yes but –' 'No please, let me talk, I may loose my nerve here.' He leaned against the wall and seemed a bit tense. As if he'd made a huge decision, but wasn't completely sure of the consequences it might imply. Something he'd had to learn to live with.

'Ginny, I think it's time. I don't think I can keep this to myself any longer. Hermione is on to me, I think. And even Ron seems suspicious.. Ron! It's just that, well I want to know what you think of-.. well would you consider t-..' Here he began to sweat.

'Merlin, Ginny, I love you, and it shouldn't be a secret!'

He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face, as if he was waiting for the blow he was sure he was about to get.

'I agree.'

'What?'

'I said, I agree.'

'You do? But what about y-'

'I don't care anymore. And besides..' Ginny took Harry's hand in hers and put it on her tummy. 'If we don't tell them we're married now, they will find out in a couple of months, when your daughter is born.

_Well this is it! I finished this in quite a rush and hope to someday rewrite it, because I like the story, but should work it out better than I have done. I just d idn't have the timeat first and frankly forgot all about it afterwards.. And I couldn't just leave it like that. Major cliffhanger and we don't like those.._

_Thanks for reading_


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